Musical instruments function in a variety of ways to produce sound vibrations that are then carried in the air, received by the ear, and interpreted in the brain in order to provide a sensory experience. The composer of a piece of music creates the piece with the intention that it be conveyed by the intended instruments in the form of a pure tone produced by the actual instrument used. Any extraneous sounds are unwelcome and detrimental both for the composer and for the audience.
In order to play a musical piece, it is usually necessary to keep the beat intact and, preferably, to employ instruments that give a tonal picture to the beat and/or to the underlying tonal elements in a musical piece. For example, in many musical pieces, it is necessary to use percussion in the form of drums (with or without drumsticks), cymbals (used with various types of striking devices such as drumsticks, whisks, rubber-tipped sticks, metallic striking devices, etc.) and so on. Many of these musical instruments, however, demand too much space and/or are heavy to handle and use without being attached to some type of stand or mounting arrangement. In so doing, it is possible that a tone problem can occur the stand/mounting device itself ending up “stealing” vibrations from the percussion instrument either by exerting a damping effect on the instrument itself, by producing sounds that are undesirable within the tonal picture of the music piece, or by transmitting vibrations to the mounting surfaces of the stand, i.e. the walls or the floor, or all or some of the above concurrently.
As a result, there is a need for an arrangement which would dampen/remove such undesired vibration transmission to the stands/percussion unit brackets and holders. This is especially true for cymbal holders, brackets and stands.
When a cymbal is struck, energy is transmitted, which causes the cymbals to reverberate and to produce sound. With a conventional stand, much of the cymbal's energy is dissipated away in the stand. This can be experienced, for example, by placing one's hand on the stand after having struck the cymbal, and is especially the case for large cymbals. This means that the cymbal uses much of its energy in “moving/vibrating” the stand instead of all the energy producing sound. As a result of this, a tone of shorter resonance will be achieved, and the cymbal sound will be somewhat muffled.
A one-piece, reversible attachment device for cymbals was previously disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,695 which allowed the choice of attachment type between a “loose” and a “firm” mounting. However, in that case, the problem of “vibration stealing” by the stand was not mentioned, and only felt plates/felt pads were shown connecting the cymbal to the stand.
In conventional arrangements, felt is employed between the stand and the cymbal, and this is meant to absorb vibrations and prevent their transmission. This is, however, not a complete solution, but the felt, in itself, can act as an inefficient vibration-damping medium. In addition, the central upright bolt on which the cymbal rests is directly attached to the stand, and this bolt will thus transmit much vibration from the cymbal to the stand. This effect is also reinforced by the fact that the cymbal often hangs at a tilt (with respect to the vertical), and thus, rests directly on the bolt. In such a mounting arrangement, the same problem of transmission of vibrations arises when the cymbals reverberate and make contact with the bolt.